Before It Ends
by JustAnotherWriter3
Summary: Everything was going great, they had tons of friends, some were top of the class, everything about school couldn't be better. To bad everything that has a start....as an end. Chapter Four, "As You Like It" up!
1. Reunion of Old Friends

--- Chapter One ---  
  
Many years stormed by for Degrassi Community School, more kids piled in classrooms, more kids left the classrooms. Some stayed for those last few years of Middle school and High school.  
  
It was already, the end of the year, and three years had passed for Ashley and the rest of fellow classmates. Degrassi would be the last school they would ever enrolled at, the last school, they would ever enroll for, except for the excuse of college, but that's not the point. They were graduating. And days away will be their prom, and a about a week after they will be graduating.  
  
For an end-of-the-year party, Ashley, surprisingly, invited all of her friends over to her house. Yes, even Jimmy and Paige. She was more-over forced to, to be technical about it, from her friend Elle and her long-time friend Terri, that she reunited more over the past few years.  
  
Ashley paced nervously across her bedroom, biting on her newly painted black-fingernails. She stopped dead in her tracked, and gave a disgusted look towards her fingers. "Starting a new habit there, Ash?" she scolded herself. She began, throwing outfits across her room from her closet. Black and other dark colors of clothing cluttered her room. She was nervous, she hadn't been this nervous in forever.  
  
Ashley was surprised at herself, she haven't did anything with Paige in life forever besides ignore each other or fight will each other, since her on-time going argument about the song, she had written for their totally forgotten group, "PMS" but Ashley didn't feel irritated with Paige, after she found out and understood the explanation, And with Jimmy, her old ex- boyfriend that she's been leading on like hot and cold for years. She was always having second thoughts about rekindling their old and young love with each other. She liked Jimmy, but that feeling she thought she had, just, magically disappeared.  
  
After quite a few debates on her up-coming outfit, she became very satisfied with it. A long Black dress, that was knee length with a lace design along the rim of the chest line, with a blouse the same length that was made of a see-through fabric. She smiled of excitement, but began to found as Toby slowly appeared into her room.  
  
"Ashley," He called, not knowing she was in the closet. He shook is head in disbelief of the condition of her room. He shook his head when Ashley was revealed, as she was throwing clothes in the hamper and the closet. "There you are."  
  
"Yeah, I'm here." Ashley said, picking up more clothes and piling them in the closet. "What can I help you with?"  
  
"Ash," Toby began, with a nervous tone to his voice. "Mind if, uh-J.T. and I crashed your little party?" He finally asked, squinting his eyelids, behind his thick burgundy glasses.  
  
Ashley shrugged with a sigh, as she threw the last item of clothing in the closet and closed it. "Yeah, I guess."  
  
Toby smiled, "Okay good." He paused. "How about Emma, Manny, and Sean?" he asked, for an addition of more of his friends. Ashley turned her head of annoyance.  
  
"Okay," Ashley began, putting her hand on her hip with a tilt. "Let's just invite the whole freaking school, why don't you!" Ashley barked.  
  
Toby stepped back with a grin. "Okay." He said simply of satisfactory and headed for the door. Ashley sighed once more, and ordered Toby to stop. "Fine. They can come too. But just one thing---" Ashley paused.  
  
"Yes?" Toby asked patiently for Ashley's one condition, because she was the caretaker of the house while her parents were away. Toby stood frozen a few step from the door. He blinked, as he watched Ashley nervously fiddle her fingers.  
  
"Make sure, J.T. has, and I mean it, no ecstasy, or any drug in general in his pocket." She chuckled, looking towards the floor. "You hear me?"  
  
"Yeah," Toby smirked opening the bedroom door. "I heard you."  
  
A few hours later, it was a quarter to seven. That's when Ashley expected everyone to come knocking on front doorstep. Know what? They kept their promise. They pounced right through the door, with a laughs and high cheers of excitement. This was the good old days.  
  
For hours Ashley, Paige, Spinner, Jimmy, Terri and the whole gang, just laughed and talked all night. There wasn't really any hard-core parting. No drugs or alcohol or any substance of that nature took place. It was just plain, innocent fun. So much fun, everyone completely just lost track of all the tension built over the years. Matter a fact; Jimmy and Sean were able sit in the same room together, without one second of an argument.  
  
"Hey guys, you remember that time when Spinner got all crazy and started dancing like a maniac during that one basket-ball game?" Paige began remembering. "It was hilarious, till he just insisted on pulling his pants down!" Everyone laughed; Spinner turned to a pinkish color on his cheeks, but then realized it was no big deal.  
  
"Yeah, it would have never happened, if someone didn't just HAVE to have my last Ritalin pill." Spinner added, glaring at Jimmy sitting besides him. Jimmy chuckled giving Spinner a slight hit to his arm. "Yeah, I was stupid then. Cost me everything." Jimmy said faintly. Looking rather disappointed. He didn't want to ruin the moment more and bring up the incident with Sean. He took a hand full of popcorn and stuffed it his mouth.  
  
"What about that time, the year after when we took one of Joey's cars for a joy ride!" Craig also, bought up an old memory. The few who experience it let out a giggle. The rest just looked at Craig interested in the story. He went on and on about that day. They all laughed at them.  
  
"Sorry, excitement makes me fart!" Sean blurted out in a mocking tone towards Spinner. They all laughed harder.  
  
"Yo!" Spinner called out, getting up from his spot on the floor. He put his arms high in the air and then added, "Lay off me!" He then laughed with them.  
  
Ashley put her hand on her sides to help ooze her feeling laughter. Her words were slurred between the cracks of her giggles. "Nothing really fun ever happens to me." Ashley admitted, still laughing. "My life is depressing."  
  
Paige then pointed out, "You so lying! There was that one time, where you were determined to have sex with Jimmy, because of what I told you, but in the end the both of you chickened about." Paige proved her point. "Wait- that is pretty depressing... just kidding."  
  
Emma then found her way towards the conversation, "Liberty, I get you! You're like me, only sorta not---" Emma said, mimicking Ashley's voice in a dull and dumb tone that Ashley had the night of the Ecstasy incident.  
  
"I'm floating---on a fluffy white cold--- can you feel it? How can you not feel it?" Toby remembered, as he lay comfortable on his side on the floor. J.T. burst into laughs, "Oh gees, I was so dumb then." J.T. added, trying to cover up his faults.  
  
Manny giggled, "J.T, you're always dumb."  
  
J.T. forced, and an obvious, fake laugh, and went totally quiet.  
  
"That reminds me," Spinner started referring to J.T.'s previous expression. Spinner then pointed towards Paige, "Last night, I asked my mom where I came from. She pointed to a glob, and said I was from Earth." Spinner recited a time a few years ago, and strained his eyes towards the ceiling trying to remember the exact quote, but didn't succeed. But she got the point.  
  
She grinned, "Really? I had my doubts." Paige added more to their small and joking conversation. "That was a funny time. Then things got dramatic that week."  
  
"Besides me getting black mailed?" J.T. called out, glaring evilly at Liberty who was invited by Emma. "I don't know, enlighten me."  
  
Hazel sighed. "You don't remember?" Hazel asked J.T., who just casually shook his head no.  
  
"You don't remember the cruel incident on international day?" Hazel asked again, everyone began to remember. But could tell by the expression on Hazel's face, that she didn't want to talk about it anymore.  
  
Everyone suddenly went quiet; a short hesitation filled the room, till Manny spoke. "I'm gonna miss you, guys. Around school I mean." She said, in a whisper.  
  
"Me too. It's not going to be the same-" Emma added.  
  
"You guys will be gone, and we'll be fighting another year of Kwan and Simpson." J.T. said drifting off.  
  
Terri smiled, "Don't worry, you'll guys will make it through."  
  
"And remember," Jimmy started. "Here or gone, we'll always be part of Degrassi."  
  
Their drive down memory lane seemed to go for miles. Hours flew by, supplies of soda and other snacks went low. Before they knew it was one o'clock in the morning. But no one bother to leave, they pulled an all nighter of laughs, tender moments, and the fact that they were together. 


	2. Picture Perfect

Chapter Two  
  
Picture Perfect  
  
The weekend flew by as quickly as you could imagine, and the party was only just a distant memory, but a memory that will never be forgotten.  
  
It was Monday, and everyone struggled out of bed, and hurried off to school with a sigh of disbelief, but wondering how they put of up with this routine for most of their life so far. They were actually proud of themselves; school was tough stuff in an average teen's mind.  
  
Paige walked down the street to Degrassi School. She saw Spinner standing around on the steps. She walked over with a smile on her face.  
  
"Hey Spin, guess how many days left until prom?" She said excitedly.  
  
"I dunno." He replied sleepily from not being fully awake.  
  
"5 days left! I can't wait; I'm going all out and getting my nails and hair done. My dress is all ready. It's going to be perfect. It's just too bad that I don't have any one to go with." She said glancing away trying to drop a hint to him.  
  
Spinner smiled, "That sucks. Sorry to hear that you don't have a date."  
  
"Oh come on Spin. Go to the prom with me." She said playfully tugging on his arm.  
  
He smiled, "Alright fine. I'll go to the prom with you." She clapped her hands and smiled.  
  
Just then Craig walked up with Jimmy, "Hey guys. Did you hear there's going to be a carnival tonight at the soccer field? It's open to all grades though. But it's in honor of us. And I'm going to be taking pictures for last minute yearbook pictures!"  
  
"Man, it's so cool that Degrassi is going all out for our senior year. Last year the seniors only had a prom."  
  
"I know!" Craig replied boisterously. "And I heard, that there's gonna be a DJ!" Craig said, with an eye-popping look on his face.  
  
Paige let out a laugh as they made a turn towards the school's courtyard. "Wow, you guys must be really excited about it!" Paige exclaimed.  
  
"Yep," Jimmy replied simply.  
  
"Well," Paige began. "I'm more hyped for the prom. Spinner's my prom date, right Spin?" She said, obviously happy. She put her arm through Spinner's.  
  
"Yeah." Spinner replied turning the other way. He then cleared his throat. They had 5 minutes until the bell was going to ring. Everyone was really excited about the upcoming prom. Paige was ecstatic about going with Spinner, Terri and Craig, Hazel made plans to go with another classmate named Zachary, Ashley and Jimmy are going together, after rekindling once again their relationship on last Friday's party, And Ellie and Marco decided on going as friends. That's when the bell rang and everyone walked to homeroom.  
  
The school day went by quickly. The entire school had an early dismissal so that the carnival could get set up. All the kids scattered home to get ready. Hours later, students from grades seventh to twelfth grade, rushed to their few hours of fun to the field, as their eyes were fixated to the fluorescent and Zeon colored bulbs on the rides, that flashed like the lights on Broadway. They were also; forced by their appetites to take a second smell of the scent of delicious hotdogs and the sweetness of funnel cakes being sold at the many concession stands set around the field.  
  
Paige, Spinner, Jimmy, and Craig decided to go as a group to the carnival. Jimmy insisted that Ashley and Elle would come along, but Ashley said she would catch up them later, because Elle and her volunteered to help out over by the dunk tank. Which, The group of friends were heading toward too.  
  
Jimmy couldn't resist but burst into laughs, as he walked over to the dunk tank, where Ashley sat foolishly wet and drenched with water from the last game player. Her arms were folded close to her chest, and her face was set in a pouttie expression.  
  
Jimmy laughed harder, "Kodak moment!" He tugged on Craig's arm, which had his fingers tips lining the silver edges of his camera.  
  
Ashley unfolded her arms, "Not funny, Jimmy!" She called out. But then she went quiet then began to smile. As she pictured Jimmy in the dunk tank in her position and her in hysterical laughs.  
  
As she was picturing it, she didn't realize that Jimmy was aiming a baseball toward the target, and she was next found swimming in the dunk tank, spitting out the disgusting water. And then blinked when she got back on the bench, from the flash of Craig's camera.  
  
She was ready to yell, when one of the men that were managing the rides beat her, by saying that her time was up and she can go enjoy the carnival.  
  
The four of them, waited patiently for Ashley's return of changing her clothes and drying off, by the face painting stand.  
  
Craig pointed to an example on one of the pages in a big binder filled with ideas for face painting. "The Phantom one is cool!" Craig said with a snicker.  
  
Paige then said. " I want that one," She pointed to an example of a girl modeling an idea of a butterfly, painted through out her face, it look so real, like a mask. Paige smiled of satisfactory, as she looked at the textures of pastels of Purple, Yellow, and a dark pink caressed among the face. "Isn't it pretty?" She asked, looking up towards Spinner who stood a few inches taller then she.  
  
"Yeah, I guess." He said simply.  
  
"I guess? Spin, It's gorgeous!"  
  
Spinner didn't reply, he wasn't in the mood to stand there and argue with Paige. He just changed the subject, "Hey Jim, I dare you to get the green goblin." He suggested to Jimmy, who turned to him from his conversation with Craig. "Green Goblin?" Jimmy asked confused with the idea suggested by Spinner.  
  
Spinner raised his brow, "Ya know', Spider man's nemesis in the first movie?"  
  
"Oh yeah!" Jimmy burst out in a yell, remembering who the Green Goblin was. "I'll do it, as long as you get Spidey."  
  
"Alright." Spinner made the deal, and told the person what he wanted, about ten minutes later, as the three artists finished his face, Jimmy's, and Paige's.  
  
"Another Kodak moment!" Craig called out, as Jimmy and Spinner revealed their painted face, as they walked out of the tent. Paige was still finishing hers up.  
  
Spinner and Jimmy smirked as they got in a pose, where it seemed like Spinner and Jimmy were fighting. Craig was about to snap the photo, when Paige came walking out. "Fighting over Lady Butterfly? How sweet!" Paige smiled, walking towards the boys, with her arms in the air like a model.  
  
Spinner put his hands to his sides slowly, as he gave Paige his full of attention. She smiled once more, as the glitter sparkled continuously from the flashing lights. Spinner always liked Paige, but he began to like her more then before.  
  
"Picture?" Craig asked again with a smirk lifting up his camera.  
  
Jimmy nodded. And put his arm around Paige and the three of them got in a picture where Paige was in the middle and Jimmy and Spinner on the side of her. They smiled for the camera, and the camera flashed. It was picture perfect. The night was picture perfect. And to Spinner, Paige was picture perfect. 


	3. Coming of Age

Chapter Three  
  
"Mom? Can we talk?" Spinner asked faintly, walking into the kitchen where his mother stood tired and weak, making coffee for herself.  
  
It was the night after the carnival, and Spinner had just finished his homework. But he became confused, more terrified. He wanted to ask his mother something he always wondered, but never knew the right time to say it.  
  
His mother nodded, and sat down with a cup of coffee in her hand at the kitchen table. "Sure. What is it, sweetie?" His mother asked sweetly, As Spinner took a seat across from her.  
  
"How do you do it?" Spinner asked, nervously. Fiddling his fingers.  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"How do you do what you been doing for the past thirty some years?" He asked, looking down on the table.  
  
"Being a mother?" His mother chuckled. "I've been asking myself everyday how I put up with doing what I do. I cook, I clean, and I help you and Kendra with their homework. I guess, being a mother was what God wanted me to do."  
  
"Mom? Do you understand where I'm getting at?" Spinner asked, wondering if she could help or maybe comfort his problem. But she couldn't see what he meant.  
  
"No, I guess for once, I don't see what's going on in that wacky mind of yours." She giggled, brushing her fingers through his spikey blonde hair.  
  
"I'm scared." He answered, pulling her hand away.  
  
"Scared of what?"  
  
"I'm scared of Graduating, I'm scared of being a so called Family man. What if I don't succeed? What if it's time to pay taxes and I don't have a clue what I'm doing? What am I suppose to do? I'm scared of getting older; I want to be a kid! A teenager! Ya' know, I like being allowed to do teenager stuff without being told that I need to grow up and start reading the Wall Street Journal and carry a brief care instead of a book bag!" Spinner's eyes started to tear up. "Weren't you ever scared of growing up?" He then asked his mother.  
  
"Gavin, I was scared at first, I was scared of what I wanted my profession to be, if I was going to be good at it, or what ever. But sweetie, I learned from experience that there is nothing you should be afraid of. You'll make it through, that's what school is for, to teach mathematics to help you do you taxes; you have family studies to help you be the family man or woman. It's all step-by-step direction. Gavin, I love you very much, I'm not going to sit here and let you be scared, and I'll help you get through whatever problem you need. In view of the fact that, I am your mother."  
  
Spinner smiled, removing a small tear following down his cheek. "I love you, mom." Spinner said, then gave his mother a kiss on the cheek and went to bed.  
  
---  
  
Chapter Consumer! I'm sorry that it was short.. but it was sappy but sweet!  
  
Warning: I do understand that people have been giving the impression that this is just a sweet little humorish, happy story. But it's just the foundation of the story. These will turn more over... 


	4. As You Like It

Sorry for the long update, but hey, be happy it's here!!  
  
Chapter Four  
  
As You Like It  
  
The next day, was a regular school day. Everyone ran to their classes and sat presentable in their seats, waiting for their teacher to come into the classroom.  
  
"I did some pretty down-right mean stuff this morning." Jimmy whispered, tilting his head toward Spinner who was sitting next to him.  
  
They were in Ms. Kwan's English class, where the students would sit and work independently without words being spoken, or they would join forces and do their lessons. But today, independencies were strictly tolerable. In other words, you need to sit, work, and be quiet.  
  
Spinner nodded, "Shut up, Jimmy. I really NEED to get this done." Spinner snapped, in a quiet whisper. Then went straight back to his routine.  
  
"Wow," Jimmy replied. "Spin's, suddenly becoming a workaholic, when it happen?"  
  
Spinner nodded once more in disbelief, "I told you, shut up! Tell me later, if I don't get this done-I'll be the one doing some down-right mean shit to you." Spinner barked, and went back to his work.  
  
"Fine," Jimmy stated. "Be like that."  
  
"Jimmy, Spinner," Ms. Kwan began, looking up from grading a few tests from the day before. "Get back to work."  
  
Exit Exams were approaching, fast but weren't wanted. These tests, held the answer to all the seniors around the globe. If one were to fail this test, that it's bye-bye graduation and hello senior year! ---Again. Which, answers the question: "Why is Spinner working so hard?"  
  
"Alright," Ms. Kwan began, rising from her desk chair, about ten minutes later. "Close your textbooks. We're going to end the class around in a group circle."  
  
The class sighed of relief and closed their textbooks. And grabbed their chairs, after pushing the tables to the back of the classroom and got in a huge circle. Ms. Kwan passed around small but thick books.  
  
"What's this?" One student called out without raising his hand. Ms. Kwan was going to correct him. But let it go.  
  
"Well, I've found these books." Ms. Kwan held up the book in the air. "Shakespeare's "As You Like It."  
  
The class sighed now of disbelief. Most of the students mind and faces clearly read. "OH MAN! NOT SHAKESPEARE AGAIN!" But knowing Ms. Kwan, she didn't care what her students thought of the curriculum, went on with her discussion.  
  
" 'As You Like It' is one of my favorite pieces of literature from Shakespeare," Ms. Kwan began telling the class the basic gist of a story about star-crossed lovers, as many of Shakespeare's plays are.  
  
But before they could start someone raised their hand. The student appeared to be Craig. He cleared his throat. "Um, Ms. Kwan? We're at the end of the year, graduating in about two weeks now..."  
  
"Yes?" Ms. Kwan cut him off, clearly not understanding what he was getting at. "Well, why are we starting a new book just now?" Craig finished his question, and then went back to slouching in his seat, with his book on his lap.  
  
"I decided to start a new book, simply because, I was suppose to read this in the beginning of the year, but instead we read something else. We need to fit this book in our curriculum fast, because there are question concerning it, on the exams." Ms. Kwan explained. Pulling her wheeled office chair over in the middle of the circle.  
  
"Just to get a taste of the story, let's just act out a few passages from the story. Then tomorrow read the actual book? Shall we?"  
  
"Ashley would you begin reading Rosalind's speech on page 126 please?" Ms. Kwan asked Ashley, who sat comfortably in the back.  
  
"Sure Ms. Kwan," Ashley answered, with a nervous tone in her voice. She struggled in her seat, flipping through the clean, clear pages of the book, searching for page 126. She found it.  
  
"O, I know where you are: nay, 'tis true: there was never any thing so sudden but the fight of two rams and Caesar's thrasonical brag of "I came, saw, and overcame:"  
  
"Wonderfully said, Ashley. But could explain what Rosalind is saying?" Ms. Kwan then shot another chillingly nervous question towards Ashley. Ashley was having trouble, shooting back a logical answer back to Ms. Kwan. Ashley suddenly went uncomfortable, and she never was this uncomfortable in class, especially when it was explain a passage of Ms. Kwan's beloved Shakespeare.  
  
Ashley began hesitating, in her sit. Trying to gather words from her high standard vocabulary in her developed steadily brain. Her years of good grades didn't pay very well, every word that came out of mouth was, ' Um, Uh, Eh, and Well.'  
  
"Anyone?" Ms. Kwan looked around the circle, to see if anyone got it. Everyone nodded negatively. Then Jimmy's hand slowly appeared in the air. Ms. Kwan smiled and called on him.  
  
"If we were to read on, we would learn that Rosalind is admitting that she did in fact have a plan to get Orlando's brother and her sister together." Jimmy answered, then smirked and turned towards Ashley. "Right, Ms. Kwan?"  
  
Ms. Kwan smiled, impressed. "Very good, Jimmy."  
  
The bell rang, and everyone escorted themselves out of the room. Ms. Kwan casually stated that they could take the book home and get a head start for tomorrow's reading. They grabbed their books and left, heading toward the hallway for lunch.  
  
----***+++*___+++)*(**+)+)()_&%^#$@#!@!$@&$*$$$&()*^$&()&^$&$____===-+2$ Sorry, I would have made it longer, but simply because I like it how it ended. I'm going to let it go from there! I believe next chapter will be shopping for dresses. Not sure. Anyway, later! 


	5. Notice

Dear Fanfictions.net readers,  
  
As you can tell the story, "Before It Ends" as been on a VERY long hiatus. Simply because, as the author, had been suffering writer's block.  
  
If you have any experience with stories, I would be glad to recruit me a co- writer. But it's not like anyone really liked this story anyway.  
  
Yours Truly,  
JustAnotherWriter 


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